This is my next Blog about guitarists, in my estimation, could you use more exposure. This is a group of innovative players. Each and every one of them is a cut above. Let me introduce you to John Stowell, Steve Adelson, Dave Allen, Tom Lippincott, and Taylor Roberts. All will answer the same five questions.
In 1983, John and David joined flutist Paul Horn and Paul's son Robin Horn (on drums) for a historical tour of the Soviet Union. This was the first time in forty years that an American jazz group had been invited to play public performances in Russia. In 1993, 1995, 1998, and 2012 John returned to Russia, playing in numerous cities. His two sold-out performances in Kursk may have been the first appearances there by an American jazz musician.
John continues to tour, record, and teach internationally. He has been Artist-In-Residence at schools in Germany, Indonesia, Argentina, the United States, and Canada. He served as assistant director and performer in Oregon Public Broadcasting's PDX Jazz Summit in 1991, and since 1995 has been a contributing columnist for several magazines, including "Downbeat", "Guitar Player", "Canadian Musician", "Soundcheck" (Germany), and "Guitar Club" (Italy). Chosen "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" by Downbeat's International Critic's Poll, 1978 and 1979
To learn more about John, visit his website: http://www.johnstowell.com/
DM: How long have you played the guitar?
JS: I’ve been playing the guitar for about 60 years. Playing and studying jazz for 50 years. My teachers were pianist John Mehegan and guitarist Linc Chamberland, and they were both very helpful in terms of giving me a good foundation. They also encouraged me to sit in with them at their gigs, and that was a valuable experience for me; I was able to learn some repertoire and get experience playing with seasoned musicians.
DM: Who were your major influences?
JS: I played in rock bands in my teenage years. The early fusion of the 1970s (Miles, Weather Report, Return to Forever) pulled me into jazz. Once I began studying harmony and theory, I began to listen to jazz from the 1930s-the 1960s. When I became aware of the rich history of this music and its rich harmonic and melodic vocabulary, I was hooked I’ve never copied anyone, but I’ve done a lot of listening. I would count Jim Hall, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, and Cannonball Adderley
As some of my favorite players. I encourage guitarists to listen to horn players and singers to learn how to breathe on their instruments and leave space. Pianists are also a good resource for us to learn about how to comp and to focus on voice leading and integrating chords and single lines into comping.
DM: How do you feel about the use of electronics?
JS: I think some guitarists use electronics very creatively and I enjoy hearing them. These days I use some reverb in stereo on my gigs, mixing a tube and solid-state amp together to get a nice spread to my sound. In the studio, In the studio, I use a close mic on my guitar to capture some pick articulation. I’m interested in hearing how my touch and a pure sound can create a sound and a recognizable identity when someone hears me play.
DM: Where do you think Jazz is headed"
JS: Jazz has always combined eclectic musical traditions, and will continue to do so. With the internet, musicians all over the world can become aware of each other and reach out to create virtual and/or in-person collaborations. I’m not sure what new hybrids of jazz will emerge, but I think that the more traditional jazz repertoire will continue to be performed along with any new forms of the music.
Steve Adelson is the premier jazz Chapman Stick player. He has six recordings as a bandleader and has guested on CDs by the Dean Brown Band, Standa Barak, Special EFX, and others. A pioneer in the tapping technique style, Steve is listed as the only Stick player in Scott Yanow's book "The Great Jazz Guitarists". Steve has recorded or performed with Larry Coryell, Tony Levin, Oz Noy, Rachel Z, Les Paul, Chieli Minucci, Pat Martino, Danny Gottlieb, Frank Vignola, Stanley Jordan, and others. He is the author of Mel Bay's "Stickology...." and "Ultimate Stick" with TrueFire Video Productions. Steve has written for Twentieth Century Guitar, Downbeat, and Jazz Improv magazines. He has played at international jazz festivals traveling to The Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Italy, Turkey and Canada. Steve produced the Long Beach, NY Jazz Fest for 16 years. He helped install the Chapman Stick exhibit at The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix and performed there with Emmett Chapman. Steve now resides in the Phoenix area.
To learn more about Steve, visit his website: www.steveadelson.com
DM: How long are you playing ( can include teachers you studied with etc
SA: I started playing guitar in 1969. Played rock of the day, then fingerpicking ala Leo Kottke, John Fahey. Took jazz guitar lessons with Charlie Didier in Brooklyn, NY. Had a weekly duo jazz guitar gig in Manhattan mid 70's for two years where I got to play with, and learn from great players including Jimmy Ponder, Attila Zoller, Jack Wilkins, and Chuck Wayne. Started tapping on the guitar when I first saw Stanley Jordan in 1983. Bought my first Chapman Stick a few months later. Lots of music still waiting to be discovered on this incredibly creative sonic tool. Revolutionary
DM: Why Jazz
SA: As I said before I was a child of the 60's, so I listened to The Beatles, Zappa, The Allman Brothers, and Jethro Tull. I discovered jazz later on through my teacher, Charlie Didier. Loved the challenge of those sophisticated harmonies and solo lines. While I still enjoy the energy of those rock classics, the complexities and swing elements are very appealing as a player, especially on an instrument that has little history
DM: Who are your major influences?
SA: Guitarists would be primarily Wes, Django, and Pat Martino. Then some of the bebop guys like Jimmy Raney and Tal Farlow. Pat Metheny is major as an innovative player and composer Of course encountering Stanley Jordan changed my life. I also dig finger stylists like Michael Hedges and Leo Kottke. My buddy Ben Lacy is a major influence. Bassists are a part of the equation. Listening to Victor Wooten, Michael Manring, Jaco, and Ron Carter affects my bass accompaniment concepts. Also, pianists like McCoy, Oscar, Herbie, and Chick. Remember, I'm playing simultaneous guitar and bass on the Stick so my influences come from multiple sources.
DM: How do you feel about the use of electronics
SA: I always use a Roland VG 99 effects processor. The tapping technique has a different string attack. The guitar and amp simulators get me closer to the sound I need. And I definitely use effects for certain genres like funk or fusion. Besides Wes covers, I do play jazz versions of Led Zep and Stevie Wonder. Phasers, delay, wah-wah, distortion are all part of the equation for creative output
DM" Where do you think Jazz is headed
SA: Hopefully on an innovative path. Honoring historic jazz playing is great. But I absolutely appreciate players like Holdsworth, Jeff Beck, and Oz Noy as well. Their creative spirit and forward-thinking are vital to jazz. The music must move forward. From Django to Wes to Martino and Metheny, improvised music must evolve and challenge our ears. Innovative concepts are very welcome
Taylor Roberts: The love affair with the guitar. began early, which may very well explain how Taylor Roberts’ professional career is well into its second decade. Spanning a wide range of influence and success, Taylor Roberts has earned a reputation as one of the Southeast’s top calls for Jazz Guitar. Yet, it is not just the jazz label that defines Roberts’ career. He cut his young teeth on punk, dove headlong into classic rock standards, and found a voice in jazz. Yet, Roberts does not easily fit into any one box.
Years of intensive study with world-renowned educators such as Barry Greene, Keith Javors, and Bunky Green have proven to continually pay off as his career expands. His reworkings and adaptations of songs old and new entrance established fans, serving up Roberts with the type of challenge that any artist craves, the ability to be creative while erasing expectation and assumption. Roberts has appeared multiple times at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival and has toured internationally with the Christian Tamburr Quintet. He has been hired by the Rolling Stones to play their private events. Accolade and admiration are the reward for years dedicated to the guitar. Forever enveloped in humility, Roberts will always attribute his success to the simple tenet, “music serves all occasions.”
Since switching to 7-string, he has become a favorite among local and regional vocalists for duo work and can be seen frequently playing solo guitar at events in Jacksonville and the surrounding areas. Roberts can do what few can, which is delivering the whole song on one instrument. No looping stations. No playback tracks. Yet, a sound so full and rich that the casual listener is taken aback and the professional stands in awe.
Likened to Tommy Emmanuel, Russell Malone, Tuck Andress, and Charlie Hunter, Roberts’ masterful playing has begun to etch his name alongside his heroes. He continues to learn and record and in 2021 released his sophomore album, “Live at the Blue Jay.” Roberts doing what he does best, connecting with people through his music and inviting all to relish in the sound.
To learn more about Taylor, visit his website: http://tr7guitar.com
DM: How long are you playing? ( can include teachers you studied with etc)
TR: I started in 1995, at age 13. This was after a touch-and-go relationship with the piano, starting around 6. When Green Day hit the scene, I wanted to play drums (for obvious reasons: their drummer is incredible!), but my parents thankfully bought me a Peavey Predator with a little practice amp instead. I started lessons immediately at the Academy of Music and Art in Gainesville, FL. I kept it a secret from all my friends for the first couple of months because I wanted to wow them all. By that point, I had my power chords together. That was enough at the time.
DM: Why Jazz?
TR: To be honest, I hadn’t had much exposure or interest in Jazz until my junior year of high school, when a friend’s mom urged me to join the Jazz Band. Thankfully, there were a couple of other kids in the band who turned me on to Wes, Coltrane, Bird, Miles, etc. I was hooked. It also seemed like a feasible route for me in terms of college.
DM: Who are your major influences?
TR: Wes Montgomery is, and likely always will be, my favorite guitar player. In any genre. Outside of that, I’ve borrowed (stolen) lots from Joe Pass, Russell Malone, Tommy Emmanuel, Charlie Hunter, Tuck Andress, and Lenny Breau. DM: How do you feel about the use of electronics?
TR: While I don’t personally do anything beyond plug-and-play, I’m all for it! Jazz, to me, implies infinite possibilities. As Wayne Shorter put it, “Jazz means ‘I dare you. ’” DM: Where do you think Jazz is headed?
TR: I’ve noticed a serious resurgence in the music, especially over the past ten years. There will always be purists out there, waxing philosophical on what “is” or “isn’t” Jazz. That discussion frankly bores me. I don’t care what you call it. I play music from all genres, and while 100% subjective, good music is good music. What I can’t afford to forget is that, at its core, it is an African-American art form. Blues, Jazz, Rock, Soul, R&B, Hip Hop. I love it all. It’s always spoken to me. Robert Glasper, for example, has taken the music into an incredibly beautiful and expressive territory. I’m excited when I hear kids call Roy Hargrove tunes at jam sessions. Being a stubborn optimist at heart, I can’t wait to see and hear what the future of Jazz has in store for us.
Dave Allen is one of the more distinctive voices on his instrument today. He has continually sought to forge a unique vision through his playing and writing, one that features lyrical melodies with lilting, complex rhythms, and rich, intricate harmonies. At the age of 16, Allen was already recognized by Guitar Player Magazine as a talent to watch. Born in Philadelphia, Allen moved to New York in 1988 to attend the Manhattan School of Music. Leading his own groups for the past 20 years, Allen has has worked with many of the most exciting young players in New York City, including David Liebman, Mark Turner,, Seamus Blake, Jeff Ballard, Ravi Coltrane, Drew Gress, Donny McCaslin, Dave Binney, Marcus Gilmore, Tyshawn Sorey, Miguel Zenon, Ted Poor, Tom Rainey, and many others. Allen has two critically acclaimed CDs featuring his original compositions; "Untold Stories" and "Real and Imagined"
To learn more about Dave visit his website: http://www.kk-en.org/dave-allen.html
DM: How long are you playing ( can include teachers you studied with etc)
DA: I started playing at 13. I became serious about it pretty quickly and put in a lot of practice time. I started composing, though I didn’t really know what I was doing at that time. At 18 I went to the Manhattan School of Music where I studied with Jack Wilkins and Chris Rosenberg, who was in Ornette Coleman’s band at the time. New York City was the campus. You could hear the best players in the world at places like the 55 Bar, Cornelia St Café, and the Vanguard. I started playing at those venues as well and I spent 25 years in NYC. I was fortunate to play with so many incredible players. I had regular gigs as a leader/composer and was able to experiment with different combinations of players.
DM: Why Jazz”
DA: I feel like jazz was inevitably going to be my focus. I’ve always had a natural affinity for things that are challenging, difficult and mysterious. The intricacy, complexity, and beauty of improvisation pulled me in. At some point I heard Metheny and Chick Corea, and that eventually led me to Coltrane, Monk, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter and Keith Jarrett. Those players are still the ones I listen to the most, over 30 years later. I call them “life’s work artists”. Those that you can spend your life studying and never grow tired of. Jazz is a small word for a large spectrum of music.
DM: Who are your major influences.
DA: Pat Metheny’s clarity, time feel, and articulation were a huge inspiration for me. John Abercrombie’s lyricism and touch, along with his overall sound and his writing, had a big impact on me. I loved Jim Hall, of course. Those are the three guitarists I focused on. Hearing Keith Jarrett changed my life. I wanted to improvise like that! I listened to his records over and over, and I still do today. Seeing Keith play live many times really opened things up for me. Then I developed a deep love for certain bassists and drummers. Charlie Haden, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Roy Haynes, Elvin, Paul Motian….they’ve always been a big part of my life. I have many records with those players on them. When I buy a record it’s most important to me who the bassist and drummer are. In fact, about 80 percent of my record collection is recordings that do not have a guitarist on them. I spent a lot of time with Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, and Wayne. Later I think Ben Monder was a big inspiration, although I cannot play anything like him.
DM: How do you feel about the use of electronics
DA: I have no problem with them if they are used well. I have never used it much. For 20 years my setup was just a delay pedal, and for practice and composing, a loop pedal. That was it. More recently I’ve been experimenting with some. But usually, once I find a setup I like, I don’t make any major changes. I prefer to get as much sound as possible out of the instrument.
DM: Where do you think Jazz is headed
DA: I think the music continues to evolve and that there are a lot of innovative, high-level players keeping the music alive. In my upcoming book, I talk a little about how the expectations of jazz musicians developed to now include fluency in odd and mixed meters, and in complex, non-functional harmony. There are some fantastic composers writing beautiful and challenging music. Ben Monder, John Hollenbeck, Craig Taborn, Matt Mitchell, Tim Berne, Steve Lehman, Immanuel Wilkins, Logan Richardson, to name a few. There are instrumentalists who are playing in a way you might not have heard 30 years ago. I’m thinking of Tyshawn Sorey, Dan Weiss, Craig Taborn, Ben Monder, Thomas Morgan, and many others. The language is still developing. There is also the influence of composers like Bartok, Ligeti, Nancarrow, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Schoenberg. There is never a shortage of new music to check out. But even there, I would just go back to everything that Miles recorded with Wayne, Herbie, Ron, and Tony. We still have a lot to learn from those recordings! Talk about “modern”!
Tom Lippincott: Eight- and six-string guitarist Tom was born in New Jersey and grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but has made South Florida which has been his home since 1988. He has a bachelor's degree in jazz studies from the University of North Texas as well as a master's in jazz performance from the University of Miami. Tom teaches jazz guitar at Florida International University, Miami Dade College, and Broward College. He also teaches lessons in person and online, conducts clinics and workshops, and has jazz guitar classes available through Mike’s Master Classes.
As a longtime contributor to the South Florida jazz community, Tom has played and recorded extensively with many of the area’s musicians and bands. He has also performed throughout the world as both sideman and leader and has performed and/or recorded with jazz luminaries John Stowell, Jonathan Kreisberg, Ben Monder, Dave Liebman, Don Friedman, and Ed Schuller. In addition to previous recordings such as his 2000 release Painting the Slow Train Brown, Tom has been featured as a performer and composer recently on David Fernandez’s Land, as well as the upcoming release from Rodolfo Zuniga’s band Surfaces with Strings featuring Camila Meza. Tom has a new album of original compositions, Twenty Years Later. To learn more about Tom, visit his website: https://tomlippincott.com/
. DM: How long have you been playing, and who were your teachers?
TL: I've been playing guitar for 42 years. I played trombone in school starting in sixth grade but was self-taught on guitar until the age of 17 when I started taking classical and jazz lessons from local guitarist and teacher Randy Wimer where I lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I went on to major in jazz studies at North Texas State University where my most influential teachers included Jack Petersen (jazz guitar), Dan Haerle (jazz theory and improvisation), and Phillip Hii (classical guitar). Afterward, I received a master's degree at the University of Miami where I studied jazz guitar with Randall Dollahon and received valuable guidance from two other jazz teachers there, Whit Sidener and Ron Miller.
Since then, my education has continued, mostly by playing gigs and learning on the bandstand but also through self-study and taking lessons with musicians I admire. In 1996, I sought out a lesson from the legendary guitarist and teacher Mick Goodrick in Boston, and that one lesson changed the course of my life and enabled me to finally begin to develop my own voice on guitar. In 2006, while in New York, I took a lesson from the great jazz drummer Ari Hoenig. From that lesson, I finally learned how to work on rhythm in the same systematic way I'd been working on the other elements of music.
Even at age 55, I still feel like I'm at the beginning of my musical journey and looking forward to the exciting undiscovered, and challenging roads ahead.
DM: Why jazz?
TL: I love all different styles of music but, as a teenager, I became particularly enamored with the richness and depth of jazz. Once I heard Miles Davis and John Coltrane and then, later, guitarists like Joe Pass, Johnny Smith, and John McLaughlin, I knew I had to try to figure out what they were doing, and I wanted to be part of that tradition. Also, even though I hoped to support myself as a professional musician, it seemed to me jazz was more about delving deeply into self-expression and about being a force for good in the world and less about making money and becoming “famous.” As the old joke goes, I wanted to play jazz because I hate crowds.
DM: Who are your major influences?
TL: All of the aforementioned teachers and musicians influenced me significantly. However, if I had to name just one musician who has been a role model and hero and someone whose music I have probably learned the most from, it would have to be pianist Bill Evans. My short list of major jazz influences includes musicians like Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Gil Evans, Larry Young, Paul Motian, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, and Brad Mehldau.
DM: . How do you feel about the use of electronics?
TL: I like to use whatever means I have at my disposal to get out the sounds that I hear in my head. Acoustic guitar sans effects/amplification is a beautiful sound, and I love to play that way sometimes, but I have always loved the sonic possibilities of electric guitar. I’ve always thought it’s funny that there is this debate among jazz guitarists about whether or not it’s “legit” to use electronic effects. A guitar amplifier is an electronic device that changes the sound of an unamplified guitar, so any guitarist who plugs into an amp is using electronics to alter the guitar’s natural tone anyway. I believe that effects, like any other tool, can be used clumsily and ineptly or adeptly in a way that increases the expressive range of the guitar.
DM: Where do you think jazz is headed?
TL: In the last 20 years or so, I've noticed a distinct trend in jazz. After the schism between the "young lions" advocates (personified by Wynton Marsalis) and the more progressive-minded musicians in the 1980s through the 1990s, the next generation seemed to make peace between those two camps and actually combine them into one style. They took the respect for tradition from the Marsalis camp, returning to playing standards and tunes written by past jazz greats, using upright bass, acoustic piano, and smaller drum sets, but also took the compositional complexity, odd meters, funk grooves, world music influence, and the rise of electric guitar as a prominent instrument from the more progressive and "fusion" side of the music. This trend is also probably a partial result of the rise of jazz education in colleges and universities. Most young, upcoming jazz musicians have an academic background, and this contributes to the increased intricacy of the music.
However, some of the really complex music that sounded new and exciting to me ten or fifteen years ago now sounds a bit dated and played-out, and I wonder if the next big movement will be a return to simplicity and lyrical expression with less emphasis on odd/changing time signatures and metric modulations. I’ve also noticed an embrace of hip hop and rap culture happening in some parts of the jazz community, exemplified by artists such as Robert Glasper and Kamasi Washington, and this could be another way that jazz is headed. Jazz has always absorbed influences from other styles of music and evolved as a result, and it's my fervent and optimistic hope that the music will become more relevant in mainstream culture and that the new generation of jazz musicians will just have to get used to playing for crowds.
I want to thank these inspirational musicians for participating and giving great answers
Dom Minasi